For the awesome second year dental students at the University of Minnesota

The monster tumor

For a long time, people have debated the origin of teratomas, the so-named “monster tumors” that contain all sorts of well-formed tissues.

Aristotle attributed teratomas to hair which had been swallowed by the patient and deposited in various body tissues. Other theories were more ominous for the patient: teratomas were variously reported to be a consequence of sexual relations with the devil, an expression of a nightmare (incubus), evidence of engagement in witchcraft, or a punishment for wickedness. Geez. I’m glad I didn’t live in the Middle Ages.